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Playing For History
Every single poker player inside the Amazon Room today is playing for something. Most are chasing dreams of a big-money score, others are hoping to snag a coveted gold bracelet, but only one is playing to snag a piece of history. Phil Hellmuth, Jr. has a chance to capture his tenth World Series bracelet, which would tie him with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson for the all-time lead. Pretty heady stuff for a guy who suffered from an extreme insecurity complex in his youth.
As has become something of a tradition with him, Hellmuth arrived fifteen minutes late to today’s final table of the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em with Re-Buys event. His fan club included John Bonetti, his parents, and his wife, Kathy, who showed up even later than her husband. While every other player at the final table was seated and waiting for the announcement to “Shuffle up and deal,” Hellmuth was pacing around the stage area mumbling, “Where’s my wife?” When the two were finally united, they hugged for no less than three minutes. Where Kathy was going to sit became something of an issue; Bonetti wanted her to sit next to him in a chair ten feet from her husband while Phil’s father lobbied for her to join him in the bleachers. She chose to occupy the chair.
The overwhelming chip leader coming in, Hellmuth got involved in the very first hand of the day, raising $22,000 from under the gun. Juha Helppi called and stuck around all the way to the river. When Phil realized he wasn’t going to be able to get his opponent off his hand, he checked and mucked when Helppi showed him Q-10, which was good for two pair. It was but a minor skirmish but one that presaged the many wars to come. If Hellmuth manages to win his fair share of them, he’ll be taking home $631,000 and more importantly a gold bracelet and the chance to stick all ten of his fingers into the nearest ESPN camera and gloat. It promises to be a highly entertaining evening and perhaps a historic one as well.
